Mount Pleasant Township near Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
REMOVED
SEE LOCATION SECTION
A Violent Collision of Cavalry
— July 3, 1863 - Third Day —
Photographed By Craig Swain, April 12, 2008
1. A Violent Collision of Cavalry Marker
Inscription.
A Violent Collision of Cavalry. . , "So sudden and violent was the collision that many of the horses were turned end over end, and crushed their riders beneath them." , Capt. William E. Miller, U.S.A. , 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry , On the afternoon of July 3, Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart mounted several cavalry attacks against Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg's Union cavalry positioned along the Hanover Road 1/2 mile in front of you. A colonel of the 1st Virginia Cavalry reported the fighting was "hand to hand, blow for blow, cut for cut, and oath for oath....", At 4:00 p.m., Stuart assembled 12 regiments of troopers for the last great charge of the day. A Union officer wrote of the massed Confederates: "In close column of squadrons, advancing as if in review, with sabers drawn and glistening like silver in the bright sunlight-the spectacle called forth a murmur of admiration.", The closest Union regiment available to halt the Southern horsemen was the 1st Michigan Cavalry. Brig. Gen. George A. Custer rode to the head of the regiment, stood up in the stirrups with his saber aloft and with a determined yell, led a countercharge. While Custer viciously attacked the head of the Confederate column, other Union cavalry under Col. John B. McIntosh closed in on the flanks. Assaulted on three sides, the Confederates retreated. The attack on the Union rear had failed.
"So sudden and violent was the collision that many of the horses were turned end over end, and crushed their riders beneath them." Capt. William E. Miller, U.S.A. 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry
On the afternoon of July 3, Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart mounted several cavalry attacks against Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg's Union cavalry positioned along the Hanover Road 1/2 mile in front of you. A colonel of the 1st Virginia Cavalry reported the fighting was "hand to hand, blow for blow, cut for cut, and oath for oath...."
At 4:00 p.m., Stuart assembled 12 regiments of troopers for the last great charge of the day. A Union officer wrote of the massed Confederates: "In close column of squadrons, advancing as if in review, with sabers drawn and glistening like silver in the bright sunlight-the spectacle called forth a murmur of admiration."
The closest Union regiment available to halt the Southern horsemen was the 1st Michigan Cavalry. Brig. Gen. George A. Custer rode to the head of the regiment, stood up in the stirrups with his saber aloft and with a determined yell, led a countercharge. While Custer viciously attacked the head of the Confederate column, other Union cavalry under Col. John B. McIntosh closed in on the flanks. Assaulted on three sides, the Confederates retreated. The attack on the Union
Click or scan to see this page online
rear had failed.
Erected by Gettysburg National Military Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 3, 1863.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 49.597′ N, 77° 9.902′ W. Marker was near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. It was in Mount Pleasant Township. Marker was on Gregg Avenue (Cavalry Field Road), on the right when traveling east. Located in the East Cavalry Battlefield section of the Gettysburg National Military Park. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. A Violent Collision of Cavalry Marker - Main Text
sectionhead>More about this marker. The center of the marker is a painting depicting Custer's charge, Shouting, "Come on you Wolverines!," Brig. Gen. George A. Custer leads a daring countercharge against the Confederate cavalry brigades of Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and Wade Hampton here on the afternoon of July 3. The Confederate charge came from your rear, the Union countercharge from your front. Painting by Don Troiani.
On the upper right is a portrait of Col. John B. McIntosh who helped Custer defeat the last Confederate charge here. His brother James, a Confederate general, had been killed at Pea Ridge in March 1862.
On the lower right is a portrait of Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton, a wealthy South Carolina landowner, commanded a Confederate cavalry brigade here. He received three saber blows to the head and a wound in the side, but later recovered. Confederate casualties in this action totaled 181; Union, 254.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Virtual Tour by Markers of the East Cavalry Battlefield at Gettysburg.
Painting by Don Troiani, September 23, 2015
3. Brig. Gen. George A. Custer leading a countercharge against Gen. Wade Hampton on July 3
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
4. Col. John B. McIntosh (1828-1888)
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
5. Gen. Wade Hampton
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
6. A Violent Collision of Cavalry Marker
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
7. A Violent Collision of Cavalry Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, April 12, 2008
8. Interpretive Marker next to Custer's Brigade Tablet
The interpretive marker stands beside Custer's (Second) Brigade, Third Division, Cavalry Corps tablet. In the background is a park service road sign for "Custer Avenue," an unpaved path to the Michigan Cavalry monument.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 6, 2010
9. East Cavalry Field Marker
The Michigan Cavalry Brigade monument can be seen here behind the marker.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
10. A Violent Collision of Cavalry Marker
"Hampton's Charge" by Don Troiani, 1998
11. Wade Hampton leading from the front.
Result: four separate wounds.
Photographed By Craig Swain, April 12, 2008
12. Confederate Cavalry Charge
Looking from just south of the marker location toward the northwest. Portions of Hampton's and Fitzhugh Lee's Brigades charged across the fields here directly into the camera's point of view. At the time of the battle, several fence lines sectioned off the farm lands here. "Phipps' Fence," which factored in the fighting, was quite likely along the line of trees and brush extending from the paved road from the far left into the distant center of the photograph.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,998 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on June 6, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Photos:1. submitted on July 13, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 29, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 8. submitted on July 13, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 9. submitted on November 26, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 10. submitted on November 29, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 11. submitted on May 22, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 12. submitted on July 13, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
